Ammunition-hoisting apparatus.



A. T. DAWSON AND J. HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOISTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1915.

1,302,527; I I Patented May 6, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- A T. DAWSON AND J HORNE.

AMMUNITION HOISTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY :5. 1915.

1,302,527. Patented May 6, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

rAnnow-m-rumvnss, ENGLAND, A gmnsrnn, Lennon, ENGLAND.

T allwhom it may-c'qncern:

' 't'known that we, Sir ARTHUR TREVOR DAWsorf,-knight; and JAMES HORNE,both ,-,subjects'of the-King of Grreat Britain, re-

siding,"f respectively, at Vickers House, ';Broadway,- .Westminster, inthe county of 'LbndQnyEngland, and Naval Construction Works;Barrow-in-Furness, in the county of ,jLancaster, England, have inventedcertain 'jnewjand useful Improvements in' or Bel'ating 'toAmmunition-Hoisting Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification. i *This' invention relates to ammunition hoistingapparatus of the kind in which the projectile and powder charges areraised in a hoist cage'to a working chamber where I i they aretransferred to 'an upper or gun loading cage which carries theprojectile and powder charges 'to' the breech of the gun.

addition to the said gun loading cage, an auxiliary projectile cage orhoist, the chief purposes of which are to enable the guns to N besupplied with projectiles from the workingchamberin the event of the gunloading cage becoming inoperative and also to replenish the projectilebins in the space inclosed by the shield. The cage is preferablyprovided with a pivoted tray which is capable of being moved about itspivot by hand, so that it can be caused to assume an approximatelyvertical position prior to the ascent and descent of the cage, and anapproximately horizontal position when it is desiredf to load the trayin the working I chamber and to remove the projectile when the trayisabove the shieldfioor.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readilycarried into effect we will describe the same more fully with referenceto the accompanying draw ings,'in which:-

-Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a side elevation and an end elevationshowing in a more or less diagrammatic manner a constructional form ofour improvements, and v Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the auxiliaryprojectile cage.

A is the shield and A the working chamber, B represents the auxiliaryprojectile cage and B, B are its guide rails. B is the projectile traywhich is pivoted to the cage at b". C is the press for raising the saidUNITEDSTATES L enrnun-rrrtnvon awson, or wEsrMInsrER, Lennon, ND JAMESHORNnor I SSIGNORS T0 vIcKEns LIMITED, vor WEST?" I Specification ofLetters Patent.

According to this invention we provide in 1 AMMUnITIon-noIsTmeAIPVARATUS. I

auxiliary cage. It will be observed. thatin Figs. 1 and 2-the said cageis shown in'two different positions which as a "matter of fact are neveroccupied by the cage at'any one time. 4 j

In the example shown the hoist rope C is attached at 0 (Fig. 2)tothe'underside of the Patented 6, 1919. L Application filed May 15,1915'Serial No.28,492. I

shield floor at one side of'the guide rails B B and after passing oversheaves b 6 carriedby the lowerpart of the cage B is led by anothersheave 6 arranged at the other side of the'guide 'rails to" the ram ofthe press C; in this manner a clear space is obtained to enable the trayB to be swung to and'from its horizontal position-when in the working'ehamb er" without any danger of fouling the hoist rope, andthe' latteris'conveniently arranged wholly below the shield floor. 7 It will'beobvious thatan electrically or otherwise driven winch may be usedinstead of the press C for hoisting the cage.

A locking device is employed for retaining the tray B in either itsvertical or its horizontal position, this device preferably comprising,as shown in Fig. 3, a spring catch or bolt 6 carried by the tray andadapted to engage with one or other of two notches b, 6 formed in aquadrant B on the cage 1 B; this spring catch is capable of'beingdisengaged from the notches by a pivoted handle B The guide rails B, Bfor the cage are preferably disposed between the girders at the rear ofthe turntable and may be straight but inclined slightly to the vertical.The shield floor is formed with a hole to enable the cage to pass to theupper side of the floor and this hole maybe closed by a door or shutterwhen the cage is not in use.

The projectiles may be placed in position on the tray by a grab A or thelike carried by a rail A in the working chamber A and a similar device amaybe employed within the space inclosed by the shield for removing theprojectiles.

The cage may as shown have a transverse tie bar B at its upper end; andin this event after a projectile has been placed on the tray B in theposition shown by chain lines in Fig. 3, it must be pushed backwarduntil its base bears against the end of the tray prior to its beingtilted into the vertical position. Similarly prior to the removal of theprojectile it must be moved forward in the tray What e claim and desireto secureby Letters Patent of the United States; is*: j

11- In ammunition hoisting apparatus; the

combination with the gun loading cage, of

an auxiliary projectile cageadditional to the usual gun loading cage,for raising projectiles independently of said gun loading cage, atransversely pivoted tray forming part of said auxiliary cage normallyoccupying a horizontal position and being capable of being-moved to anapproximately vertical position for the ascent-and descent of the cage,and single means for locking said tray to theauxiliary cage in either ofits positions. I E

2. The combination with a gun shield and a gunloading cage, of anauxiliary projectile cage, additional tothe usual gun loading cage, forraising projectiles independently of said loading cage, a transverselypivoted tray forming, part of said auxiliary cage',,- said tray beingmovedinto an: approxis mately vertical position-for the ascent' ofthecage, ahoisting motor for-said auxiliary cage, a rope connecting saidmotor to the auxiliary cage, said rope being arranged to leave aclearspace behind said auxiliary said;

cage to enable "its tray to berocked to and from-its horizontalposition.

loading cage, of anfauxiliaryfprojectile cage, additional to the usualgun loading cage for tray forming part of said auxiliary cage,

" said tray being moved into aniapproxis mately yerti'cal position forthe ascalt of the gunturrets, the combinationvvith the gunraisingrojectiles independently of said gun loa lng cage, atransversely plvoted,7

cage, guldera ls for sald auxlliary cage, a!

hoisting motor for saidauxiliary cageg-said motor being arranged atonesidegoi ithe guide railsga .ropeiconnected atione "end to the motorand-at the other; end to; a part'jof side of the guide railsto that'yatWhich'the I motor is disposed: and sheavesvcarried by said auxiliarycage, these sheavesgbeingi I nttestimony ivhereof WeQafiixour s ifgnatures.

' JAMES HORNE,

.j ARTHUR TREVOR Dawson",

copies of this patent may be' obtained for five cents each, byaddres'sing the Commissioner 012mm;

washing'tongnc. w n r

